Geremy Davis Has The Hot HandsRedshirt sophomore lead the Huskies in receiving this year.

Geremy Davis has 17 receptoins to lead UConn this year.

Sept. 26, 2012

By Scott Waggoner

After University of Connecticut head football coach Paul Pasqualoni named Geremy Davis a starter in the beginning of the season, the redshirt sophomore wide receiver has made the most of his opportunity.

Davis is the team's leading receiver with 17 catches for 236 yards and a TD entering Saturday's home game with Buffalo at noon. Last week against Western Michigan, after UConn fell behind 17-0, Davis had nine receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown, which pulled UConn to within one score late in the game.

UConn was unable to complete the comeback, falling to the Broncos 30-24, but the breakout performance of Davis is a great sign for Connecticut's offense moving forward.

"The conditions were right to get him the ball," Pasqualoni said. "Some of those catches he made were excellent."

Davis, who felt like some schools overlooked him coming out of high school in Georgia, wasn't surprised by his performance Saturday.

"You always want to go into each week expecting to have a big game," Davis said. "I wanted to make sure I came out and did something positive, and contribute and that's what I did."

Davis caught just six passes for 73 yards in limited playing time last year, though he has excelled this season after given the opportunity to start. He attributes some of his recent success to the chemistry between him and sophomore quarterback Chandler Whitmer, who threw his first touchdown of the season last Saturday.

"He's a gym rat who works hard and loves football," Whitmer said of Davis. "He is so physical and strong, and he does a good job of catching the ball with his hands."

The emergence of Davis is sure to spark a Connecticut offense that has struggled to move the ball at times this year. His performance last Saturday will garner him more attention in the future, and opponents will no longer be able to focus on just stopping star redshirt sophomore running back Lyle McCombs, who ran for 100 yards for the first time this season Saturday.

Opponents keying in on Davis will lead to more opportunities for the rest of the Connecticut receivers, who Davis says are more than capable of making plays.

"This whole receiving core is talented it's not just me," Davis said. The Huskies look to bounce back this Saturday at Rentschler Field when they play the Bulls, a team they beat on the road last year 17-3. Davis maintains high hopes for Connecticut this season, and says his teammates feel the same way. "Our motivation and confidence is never down," Davis said. "We all have the same mentality of expecting to win every game."